Panasonic may be finished with plasma TVs

Japanese news outlet Nikkei is reporting the news that Panasonic may begin withdrawing from the plasma TV market over the next three years, starting from the next fiscal year.

The company has already halted development of its next generation of plasma TVs, according to the report, and will end plasma panel production at its main Amagaskai plant in the 2014 fiscal year.

This drastic measure would form part of ongoing cost-cutting measures at Panasonic. After achieving sales of 1 trillion yen in 2009/2010, it's expected to have slumped to half of that by 2015/2016, according to the report.

Producing both LCD and plasma TV models is seen as inefficient, especially with Japan's own TV market shrinking.

Panasonic OLED PlansBack in January it was reported that Panasonic had halted production of its own LCD panels, and was outsourcing its needs to LG.

However, this was ascribed to Panasonic's plans to move forward with the next generation of flat-screen TV panel technology, OLED. There are now questions over whether Panasonic will be able to manufacture its own OLED panels overall, or will be forced to outsource production in order to cut costs further.

Could the Panasonic ZT60 and family be the last line-up of Panasonic plasma TVs? Would you care if that was the case? Let us know in the comments section below, or via the Trusted Reviews Twitter and Facebook feeds.